Your guide to Florida's outdoors, by Sandra Friend, Florida's hiking expert, and her co-author John Keatley, covering the Florida Trail and other trails throughout Florida.

The Florida Trail

1,400 miles statewide. 1,110 miles linear. The Florida Trail is Florida’s own National Scenic Trail, a ribbon of outdoor adventure stretching from the edge of the Everglades to Pensacola Beach, with trailheads within an hour of most Florida communities.

Planning a Florida Trail Hike?

With more than 45 years of experience of hiking the Florida Trail between us, we’re here to help. We know that Florida provides a very different hiking experience than everywhere else in the United States, and you need to be prepared for it. You won’t have to worry about elevation gain, but you will have to tangle with humidity, winter weather extremes, tough-on-feet surfaces, and seasonal wading.

FLORIDA TRAIL DETAILS BY SECTION

Eastern Continental Trail-206.3 miles. Not technically part of the Florida Trail but a connector to it, the Florida portion of the Eastern Continental Trail begins at Key West and is primary a roadwalk to the southern terminus of the Florida Trail in Big Cypress. At the Alabama border, hikers following the ECT connect with a larger system of trails terminating in Cape Gaspe, Quebec.

Florida Trail, Big Cypress-38.3 miles. Winding deep into the wilds of the Big Cypress Swamp, this is the most remote section of trail in the state of Florida. The landscape is likened to the savannas of Africa, but also has pockets of rainforest-like botanical beauty enveloped in thick humidity. Hiking here means ankle-to-knee deep wading for several days.

Florida Trail, Seminole-56.2 miles. Stretching from the Big Cypress Seminole Reservation to Lake Okeechobee, this is a vast agricultural region. These are the drained lands, the former Everglades, with a lonely feel and no shade. Hiking is on roads and levees.

Florida Trail, Okeechobee West-56.0 miles. The preferred route for long distance hikers due to its solitude and wild spaces, the trail – entirely atop a 35-foot levee – offers expansive views of Lake Okeechobee, its western marshes, and vast open prairies turned to cattle ranches. Much of the trail, but not all, is paved and multi-use.

Florida Trail, Okeechobee East-56.6 miles. The eastern side of Lake Okeechobee has more communities close to the Herbert Hoover Dike, and more open water to see from the trail. All of the trail here is paved and multi-use. Closures due to rehabilitation work on the dike affect many segments on this side of the lake.

Florida Trail, Ocean-to-Lake-61.7 miles. A spur trail that leads from Port Mayaca on the east side of Lake Okeechobee to Hobe Sound Beach on the Atlantic Ocean. En route it passes through popular Jonathan Dickinson State Park and Riverbend Park as well as rugged and wild DuPuis Reserve and Corbett WMA, where there are vast wet prairies and cypress strands with wades similar to Big Cypress.

Florida Trail, Kissimmee-108.9 miles. Following the Kissimmee River floodplain – which is undergoing restoration to its former glory, and flooding the landscape in the process – this is a section of trail with a mix of levee walks, road walks, marshy wades, and spectacular oak hammocks, as well as many open prairies shared with cattle. Scenic hikes here include Chandler Slough West, Starvation Slough, Kissimmee Prairie, Kicco, and Prairie Lakes.

Florida Trail, Western Corridor-241.0 miles. The Western Corridor provides excellent hiking opportunities within easy reach of residents of the Tampa Bay area, offering numerous backpacking loops. It traverses the Green Swamp in addition to vast sections of Withlacoochee State Forest and the entire Cross Florida Greenway.

Florida Trail, Orlando-149.1 miles. Approaching the Orlando metro, this section takes you through a slim ribbon of wilderness in Orlando’s eastern suburbs, following a paved rail-trail for one portion of the hike. In places like Bull Creek WMA, Tosohatchee, Seminole State Forest, and Bronson State Forest, you’ll be surprised at wild places so close to a major city.

Florida Trail, Ocala-72.2 miles. The birthplace of the Florida Trail, the Ocala section is Florida’s top backpacking destination, showcasing the world’s largest sand pine scrub forest and some of Florida’s largest springs in the Ocala National Forest. Despite its scorched earth, the Juniper Prairie Wilderness remains a popular destination for hikers. Beauty spots like Hopkins Prairie and Riverside Island above Lake Delancy should not be missed.

Florida Trail, Northeast Florida-123 miles. The sweep of trail past Palatka towards Lake Butler involves some private timberlands and a string of public lands connected by short roadwalks, including Rice Creek Conservation Area, Etoniah State Forest, Gold Head Branch State Park, and Camp Blanding. The Palatka-Lake Butler Trail provides a connector, and the Osceola National Forest is at the northern end of this section.

Florida Trail, Suwannee-78.9 miles. For more than sixty miles, the Florida Trail follows the floodplain of the fabled Suwannee River, clinging to its bluffs and terraces, dropping down to sandy beaches, and scrambling past waterfalls and ravines. It’s a physical challenge and one of the most scenic sections of trail, with both Big Shoals - Florida’s fastest whitewater – and the Big Oak Trail at the confluence with the Withlacoochee River a delight.

Florida Trail, Big Bend-117.1 miles. From the Suwannee River, the trail is now a 56-mile roadwalk before rejoining public lands along the mysterious Aucilla River. In St. Marks NWR, there is a river crossing where you must hail a boat.

Florida Trail, Apalachicola-77.4 miles. Florida’s largest national forest, the Apalachicola National Forest is a very wet, very lush environment, and the trail here goes through one of the wildest virgin forests in Florida in Bradwell Bay. Pitcher plant prairies and vast titi bogs also mean soggy feet.

Florida Trail, Central Panhandle-99.3 miles. Crossing the Apalachicola River, the Florida Trail enters the Central Time Zone. Public lands are scarce through this section so there is a lot of connecting roadwalk and some multi-use trails like the Blountstown Greenway, but the trail does show off the beauty of places like Econfina Creek, Pine Log State Forest, and Nokuse Plantation.

Florida Trail, Eglin-98.2 miles. Florida’s largest military reservation was once the Choctawhatchee National Forest, and thanks to more than a century of conservation, the Eglin section includes vast stands of old-growth forests and steephead ravines. Eglin East has a continuous long east-west segment of trail, while Eglin West offers a shorter segment through the sandhills near East Bay.

Florida Trail, Seashore-32.3 miles. The Florida Trail’s northern terminus is at Fort Pickens on Pensacola Bay, a fitting place to complete a grand adventure. The Seashore section, which also includes the Pensacola Bike Path, the Navarre Bike Path, and the wild and scenic UWF Dunes Preserve, is the only National Scenic Trail section with walks along a beach.

Florida Trail, Blackwater-45.5 miles. Branching off the Eglin section east of Milton, the Blackwater section provides backpackers a place to immerse in the beauty of Blackwater River State Forest. Portions of three trails – Juniper Creek Trail, Jackson Red Ground Trail, and Wiregrass Trail – make up the Florida Trail, which reaches the Alabama border to connect with the larger Eastern Continental Trail. This is a blue-blazed side trail.

The Florida Trail

Make the Connection

Become a member of the Florida Trail Association (FTA). FTA provides the volunteer effort that keeps this statewide trail open. They also produce detailed maps of the trail and a data book. You must be an FTA member to hike through a handful of private lands that the trail crosses, and you should be a member to support the ongoing trail maintenance efforts of its volunteers.

Talk to fellow hikers. An important resource for long distance hikers to connect with experienced Florida Trail hikers and trail angels, the Florida Trail Hikers Alliance is where you'll find a forum to share your questions. FHTA sponsors on-trail hiker events during hiking season.

Help complete the trail. The Florida Trail still has gaps bridged by roadwalks and crosses private lands that are at risk of closure. Friends of the Florida Trail is working to raise funds for land acquisition and to find legislative methods of closing the gaps in the Florida Trail.

Do the Research

See these detailed pages on different ways you can enjoy your National Scenic Trail. With hundreds of trailheads statewide, you'll find somewhere to start near you.

Florida Trail Hikes-Explore natural Florida on the Florida Trail by taking a day hike along a portion of our statewide National Scenic Trail, with a trailhead not far from you!

Florida Trail Backpacking-Weekend backpackers will appreciate the many places the Florida Trail provides a pleasant overnight or three-day-weekend experience to escape to the outdoors.

Planning a Long Distance Hike-It takes 1,110 miles and 2-3 months to walk from Big Cypress to Pensacola along the Florida Trail, and a good bit of logistical planning. Discover resources here.

Florida Trail for Scouting-There are many opportunities for Boy Scouts to complete hiking and backpacking merit badges and 50-miler awards along the Florida Trail; this list will start you planning your next trip.

Florida Trail Adventures-What's it like to hike the Florida Trail? Here's where we share our personal experiences day hiking and backpacking on Florida's own National Scenic Trail.

Newest Florida Trail hikes

Florida Trail, New River to Hampton-A surprisingly pleasant section of the Florida Trail that sees very few hikers, the most remote part of the Palatka-Lake Butler Trail stretches 9.3 miles between Hampton and the New River, southwest of Starke.

Disappearing Creek at Camp Branch-On the Disappearing Creek Loop off the Florida Trail along the Suwannee River, watch Camp Branch burble through rapids and cascade into a giant sinkhole

Big Oak Trail-The Big Oak Trail is one of the most scenic hikes in North Florida. Much of the hiking parallels the Suwannee and Withlacoochee Rivers, which meet here at a confluence.

Florida Trail, Cypress Lakes Preserve-At Cypress Lakes Preserve, a 1.7-mile segment of the Florida Trail follows the edge of a series of cypress-lined lakes where ancient trees have survived the ages